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Delta Airlines

Delta Airlines • SkyMiles • Travel vouchers • Delta/AmEx promotions • European promotions • Reservations & itinerary changes • Lost/damaged luggage • Unaccompanied children • Puerto Rico USA • Miscellaneous --- News • Delta Reduces Capacity As Fuel Prices Rise • Delta Cuts Flights in Slowing Economy • Delta Alters Fees to Conform to Northwest's • Delta, Northwest Complete Merger • Delta Adding Wi-Fi to All Flights • Delta Raises Second Checked Bag Fee to $50 • Delta Passengers Stranded 7 Hours on Plane • Delta Sells Ads on Boarding Passes • Delta, Northwest Merger Faces Heavy Chop • US Airways Makes Bid for Delta • Delta Beefs Up Routes, Retrofits Its Jets • Delta Begins Passing On Airport Fees To Passengers • Delta Writes Coda to Song • Delta Files for Bankruptcy • Delta Sells Regional Carrier To Raise Cash • Delta Abandons $499 Fare Cap • Delta Warns of Bankruptcy • Delta Passengers To Brown Bag It • Delta Cuts Fares

Complaints about the major airlines are plentiful. What's a little unusual about Delta is how angry some of its best customers are -- those who've reached stratospheric in the SkyMiles program, for example. These are the 100,000-mile flyers that every airline swears it will do anything to retain. Delta certainly has an odd way of showing it.

We'd say the comments below pretty well sum it up.

maria of north york, ON August 7, 2009

Hello, I'm writing a complaint about a situation that occured today at your airport. My sister in law and her children were checking in to fly back to their country. They do not speak english so my famiy and I were there to assist them. My husband and I were there translating to my siser in law about the luggage and so on. The woman who was doing the check in for us, (I believe her name was Corrine), was so inpolite with us. She asked my husband and I to leave my sister in law by herself. We explained to her that she does not understand english and that we were there to help her. This was very difficult for us since the luggage was 1/2 pound over weight. It was rude and unnessisary for her to ask us to leave since we had to translate everything to her.

When we asked the woman for help she simply looked at us with discust as she asked the girl beside her to tend to us. This woman made our experience very unpleasant. This was the first time that something like this has happened to us for we travel fairly often. When it was time for my sister in law to go, the Corrine woman told her to hurry in a very rude manner once again. Once she went through another woman working there told her very nicely that she had plenty of time left to stay and say goodbye to us.

After all this nonsense I decided to talk to the supervisor, however I could not reach him/her. Frankly my entire family felt embarassed as this woman watched over us as if we were some sort of criminals. I told her that if we travel again we will think twice before taking delta airlines. And the worst part of all this is that my sister in law and her children were very upset about the experience after such a great trip in Canada.

On top of that, on their plane ride coming into Toronto they had lost one piece of luggage. She did eventually get the luggage back but there were lots of items missing from her suitcase. Please take my complaint into consideration, because my family meant no harm and did not deserve such harsh service. I will be waiting for your reply. Hope to hear from you, thank you.

Rita of Hampstead, NC August 4, 2009

Wheel chair transfer in Atlanta was slow causing me to miss Flight #1556 to Minn. Spent five hours waiting for connection. This caused a problem for my niece who was waiting for me in Traverse City.

Meisum of Stafford, TX August 4, 2009

We had purchased two round-trip tickets from Delta Airline from Hong Kong to Houston in early February this year. We were supposed to fly back to Hong Kong on June 19 but owing to change of travel plans, we called Delta Airline a day before the original departure and postponed our return flight till July 10, which the staff had confirmed it was fine as long as we pay USD200 extra for each ticket when we check in on July 10. Since it is an international flight operated by Northwest, the staff directed me to call 1800 instead.

During June 22 to July 8, I had called Northwest Airline about 8 to 10 times, hoping to fly on an earlier date if seats became available because of cancellations of other passengers but I was told the earliest possible date remained unchanged as July 10. On July 8, I was told the same thing again so I re-confirmed our departure on July 10, in the meantime the officer reconfirmed that I could pay USD200 extra when we check in at the airport on July 10.

Unfortunately, we did not get to fly on July 10 because the second passenger (child) had suddenly got a serious fever. I called the same hotline again 4 hours before the departure informing them we couldn't fly and we needed to reschedule the returning flight. I was transferred to 3-4 different officers explaining the situation and they said it was okay to re-schedule the tickets as long as seats were available and we paid the USD200 extra upon checking in on the departure date.

On July 17, I called the same hotline again, was on the phone with 5 different officers, the first 4 officers said no problem, I could change my flight to Aug 8, and gave me a new confirmation number. To my surprise, for no reason the last officer denied all that I had been told the last 4 weeks and said, "No, your tickets have no value."

After more than 4 weeks communicating with Northwest Airline, I was then told to call Delta Airline again. The officer said he didn't see any record about re-scheduling the flight whatsoever. What they could see from their system was only the original departure on June 19 but nothing else. The fact is that I really had spoken with at least 8 - 10 different staff over those 4 weeks and my reservation was always there in the reseravtion system.

Besides, we purchased the same return ticket for our mother in October 2008. She did not get to take the original return flight from Houston to Hong Kong on March 31 but April 19, 2009 which we had been told exactly the same thing. We called Delta to enquire before the original departure and re-schedule the new departure of April 19. We were told the same thing that we could pay USD200 extra upon checking in at the airport.

On April 19, we paid USD200 at the check in counter, and the passenger flew back to Hong Kong without any problem. The extra money was settled by credit card, we could provide bank reference to prove that the transaction was done at about 6am at on April 19, 2009 at the check-in counter at George Bush International Airport.

The problem has been further delayed owing to Delta's indiffernt and irresponsible response to my email complaints the last two weeks. We have lost about USD1,150 for the return flights from Houston to Hong Kong for two passengers.

Eleonora of St. Helena, CA July 25, 2009

I was told that it was not your problem that Delta canceled my grandparents flight in Pisa after they were in the plane for five hours with no food. They were then sent home and came back the next day and were told that they would be upgraded to first class, food tickets and a five star hotel once they got to New York. They were also told that they would have someone there to pick them up and bring them to the hotel and then back to the airport in the morning. My Grandfather is coming for my wedding tomorrow.

He has a heart condition (just had five-bypass surgery) and has to take food with his medicine and my grandmother is in a wheelchair. I tried speaking with Delta and was told that it was not your problem that they could not speak my language. I don't appreciate your company's discrimination and I certainly don't appreciate your customer service. I want an immediate response to this. I would also like to file a complaint against specifically Lina B in customer service at your Montreal Office. I can't believe that my grandparents would ask for a Supervisor at the Delta check in and not be given any assistance.

I also can't believe that when I asked to speak with Lina's supervisor that she said that her supervisor would not speak with me. Is this normal procedure for you? Do you usually treat people from different countries like this? I am getting married and I don't even know that my grandparents will make it in time or whether or not the stress of this ordeal with your lack of service will or has caused my grandfather any medical complications.

Your company has quite a bit of explaining to do and I expect a response. I would like an apology and explanation in writing within the next seven business days. Please expect my follow up.

Sharlyn of Atlanta, GA July 30, 2009

I had a 4 1/2 hour flight from ATL to SFO on a 767 aircraft. I called the flight attendant using the help button on the computer screen to inform her that my overhead light would not come on. The flight attendant told me she would rebut my computer so I could use the overhead light and once she did, the light still did not come on. I told her I needed to use the overhead light to read business materials, etc. for a meeting and througout the entire flight leaving at 21:15 pm (EST) to 23:30 pm (PST), I could not read over my business materials. The flight was not full, yet the flight attendant did not move me to another seat so I could read. I had eye surgery for a retina problem and had to strain my eyes in the dark, because the flight attendant refused to move me. This is very unacceptable considering that I have been a Delta Skymiles member since 1995.

John of Waterford, NY July 22, 2009

I am attaching a two page letter that I was told to by one of your corporate customer care representatives. I call to see if it was received and they had no idea and this is a big problem for I could have died without the blood transfusion that I had scheduled for the following day due to my health problems! All of my concerns are listed in the letter that is attached as well as the compensation that I have asked for back due to the bad service, rude representative at the airports and most of all the non caring personnel that did not care what happened to me due to the problems with your flight schedules and connections!

I personally asked to make sure that there would be no delays in the flight from Las Vegas to Detroit and if there was a slim chance or if the plane got stuck on the runway, I would need to take another flight. I was assured that all my concerns would be met and they were not. As you will read, the plane left late on the 19th of July from Las Vegas and was stuck on the runway for over 45 minutes with myself and wife only having a connecting time for the next flight of 30 to 40 minutes. I asked on the flight due to my health to get off the plane for it had not left so that I could take another flight or airline if needed to make sure that I would get home that night so I would make it back to Albany NY for my blood transfusion.

I was told no one could leave the plane, I was told by the agent at the desk that if needed I could and would be able to unboard the plane. This is a gross mishandling and a near death sentence for me and I do want this address and not by a letter but I want to talk with someone regarding this matter for I could have died from this! Please read the attached letter on what happened with your airline and how myself and wife were treated and what we had to go through to get back in time to Albany NY. My wife had to drive over 600 miles starting at 11:30 PM at night and over 9 hours to get me to the hospital where my rare blood type was for my transfusion.

SHERRI of Sharpsburg, GA July 28, 2009

I was a passenger on Flight 24, July 27, 2009 and fortunately had an isle seat. There were two extremely large people in the other two seats. The lady sitting next to me was halfway in my seat. She ocntinued to let the armrest up which allowed her to lean on me. I told her I was using the armrest for my movie, earphones and volumn...but it was actually more like a varacade from her fat.

I have a fractured back, had a broken neck, six herniated discs and several other major problems and all I require is my own seat which is still not comfortable but will do. I had to turn on my side and face the isle to get her off of me. It was impossible for her not to hang over my seat because of her size.

I had a miserable flight. I have suffered extreme problems now that I have gotten home. The pain in my back and legs is incredible. Start asking that fat, large or anyone that does not fit into one seat...to buy two tickets. I will refuse to fly Delta again until some type of provisions are done to insure a comfortable flight. Two fat people in one row? I am suprised that I did not loose it. So as to not embarrass these fat people I did not report it because the plane was full anyway. What would they do?

I am so angry that Delta doesn't check to see if someone is past a comfortable fit. Give the majority of us a break. Make them purchase two seats and let us try to be somewhat comfortable in [their] tiny seats with no leg room.

Tonya of Charlotte, NC July 24, 2009

On 7-7-09 flight NW3591 was delayed in Memphis,TN for 2 hours because the pilot was delayed in Minneapolis. I felt that Delta should have had a reserved  pilot available to avoid this situatuon. Upon our arrival in Charlotte,NC  2 hours late, there was no gate available. Therefore all the passengers were deplaned on the tarmac. I felt very uncomfortable exiting the plane ,coming down the steps caring my carry on luggage and trying to hold on to the rail.  Once off the plane I had to walk on the tarmac to get to the entrance of the building,then up more steps with my carry on luggage. Once I arrived at the baggage claims area, I had to wait about 20 more minutes for my luggage. This is an annual trip buu this was my first time flying with Delta. I am not happy with the way things turned out.

Jennifer of London, Great Britain July 23, 2009

I was flew from Atlanta to London on May 7th. I was traveling on my own with my infant daughter. I had originally been scheduled to fly home on April 16th with my husband and older daughter but while visiting my Dad in Atlanta he was unexpectedly diagnosed with Leukemia after a routine Doctors visit and was hospitalized and told he would have to undergo emergency chemo. So I extended my stay to be with him while he underwent these treatments.

I packed all my bags on the 6th of May and weighed them using my personal scale which I carry with me on all journeys to ensure I do not have problems with checking my bags. On May 7th my sister picked me up to go to the airport, I weighed the bags again as we loaded them into her van. On arriving at the checkin counter at the airport the agent checked my first 2 bags with no problem. But when I presented my daughters bag he told me I was not allowed to check any luggage for my daughter as she was traveling on an infant ticket. He told me only children traveling on a 50% fare could check luggage free of charge and that it would be 200 to check my daughters bag. I told him that Deltas website states that infants traveling on a 10% fare are entitled to 10 kilos of checked luggage. My daughters bag weighed exactly 10 kilos and at the time said 22lbs on the scale in Atlanta as we were having the discussion.

I told him I was on the return leg of my journey and had had no problem bringing the bag from London. He told me that the fare rules had changed in April (in the middle of my journey) and that they were subject to change without notice at any time and that I would have to pay 200 or step aside. I asked to speak to a manager and he then told me he was a supervisor and the highest ranking employee on the floor and I would not be allowed to speak to anyone else. I was distraught to say the least. I had done my best to prepare before getting to the airport.

I was already stressed about what my Father was going through and had the unenviable task ahead of me of getting through the airport and on to my flight and traveling on a longhaul flight alone with an infant. I needed extra time to get through security and I needed to feed my daughter who was getting increasingly restless at the checkin counter. I was forced to leave the counter and leave the bag with my sister or risk missing my flight home.

As soon as I arrived at London Gatwick I met my husband and we went straight to the Delta Customer Service counter to complain about the incident and ask their advise on getting the bag back. They were surprised that I had been told the baggage allowance had changed as they were not aware of any such change. They then checked the notes on my file and informed me that the agent had stated that the reason I was asked to pay 200 was because the bag was overweight. I was shocked at this. The weight of the bag had never been discussed. I was told point blank I was not allowed any extra baggage for my daughter. The bag was not over the weight allowance.

Since my return I have tried contacting Delta for a resolution and have been turned down repeatedly. I have been told that there is no way to prove that the bag was not overweight after the fact and that I should have spoke to a manager at the airport. Which is even more upsetting as I had pleaded to speak to a manager at the airport and was denied. In my last email to Delta I asked if in fact the problem had been an overweight bag (this is only if, the bag was not overweight) then why was I asked to pay 200? The charge for an overweight bag at the time I was traveling was 150 per Deltas contract of carriage. The charge for an excess bag was 200. This fact alone supports the fact that I was being asked to pay an excess baggage fee and not a fee for an overweight bag.

Below is their response still telling me I should have spoken to a manager. I pleaded to speak to a manager for about 10 minutes and was told by the employee to leave the counter or he would get security. What more could I have done? How was I to know he was lying and would put even more lies in my notes?

To: "Jennifer

I am in receipt of your additional comments, and again, I am very familiar with our contract of carriage. As I have stated before, if you have a discrepancy with the amount you are being asked to pay for "excess" luggage, you need to discuss this with a supervisor or manager at the airport at the time you are being asked to pay the fees. There is no way after the fact to determine if you were charged or quoted a fee that was incorrect. I hope for your understanding regarding this issue. The second option, which you choose, is to deny to pay the fee and depart without your luggage. While I regret your continued disappointment in my response, this matter is considered to be closed and we will not be responding further regarding this issue.

Thank you. Sincerely, Lisa

Lindsay of Los Angeles, CA July 20, 2009

We arrived an hour before our flight, checked-in using the self service kiosk, paid for an additional bag, and got in line to drop it off. The line was long and personnel continued to take those who were "late" and cut them in front of us. I told the stewardess that we ourselves might need to get to the front of the line and were likely later than those she was allowing to cut in front of us. She refused to listen to me and kept me in line. When we arrived at the counter the woman did not want to let us check our bag because it was less than 30min. before the flight. We asked to speak to her supervisor. She moved as slowly as possible and it took another 10min for her to actually take our bag - which she finally had to do because we had already paid. When we got to the gate the plane was still there but they would not let us on as the gate had "closed". I don't understand how they could hold us in line, and allow other people to cut in front of us because they may miss their flight, not do the same for us, and then not take responsibility when we missed our flight because of this.

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